There was a commonly used phrase that was used to describe imminent destruction approaching: the calm before the storm.
How Batman hated that saying.
Yet, nothing described his current situation better. The Joker and Strange were on the loose, along with the rest of Arkham's high profile inmates. That was a powder keg with a short fuse. Some of the inmates were genuinely unhinged, unable to help themselves with their compulsions and obsessions. They truly needed help and weren't getting it on the outside. It was just a matter of time before they were up to their old tricks.
Others had manipulated the legal system, placing them there instead of at Blackgate and those were people that would bide their time before striking. These were the more dangerous of the two groups. They would plot their way into something horrific, waiting for the right moment to unleash their fury.
Unfortunately, there were no leads to chase, nothing for the vigilante to go on to track them down. Oh, there were a couple things he could assume, such as the Joker taking over a crime lord's headquarters, or the Mad Hatter looking for access to various technology for his mind control tech. He already had eyes on the ideal places for these men, yet nothing had occurred at these locations.
Something was going to have to give.
A breeze blew by the dark-clad man as he viewed his gloomy city from a perch on top of a skyscraper. There were fewer cars in the streets, what with media organizations having published the Arkham breakout. Gotham's citizens knew what that meant and had acted accordingly. He hated to see it, innocent people's lives disrupted, but for now that was the best course of action.
That's when the call came in.
Thanks to the Cave's super computer being linked to his cowl, he had it constantly monitoring communication lines, be it phone, radio, or even something as innocuous as a YouTube video being posted that held several keywords in it. It was this feature that sounded off an alert in his ear, warning him about an incoming message.
"Attention all units, we have alarms going off at Wayne Tower. Level 4 threat confirmed, backup is requested. Threat is highly dangerous, all units are required firearms."
A Level 4 threat at Wayne Tower; Batman clenched his fists tightly. Recently, the GCPD had introduced a threat rating system, one to describe what sort of threat was present. Someone like the Mad Hatter would be a Level 3, for instance. The Riddler was a Level 4 due to his recent attempt at harming every schoolchild in the city limits. After awhile, he would be relegated to Level 3 status due to his mechanizations being technological and mental rather than physical.
Poison Ivy was a Level 5 threat for obvious reasons. The same could be said of Bane.
The Joker was in a class all of his own.
Leaping from his perch, Batman activated the glider mode of his cape and soared in the direction of Wayne Tower. Something dangerous was attacking his company yet again. It had been quite some time since the last attempt, but he was fully aware that it was always a target due to its high profile within the city.
Whoever, or whatever made the decision to attack it tonight would find that it had made a grave mistake. A message would be sent that his company was off-limits.
Taloned feet stomped down the hallway, claws digging into the floor and leaving behind uncaring gouges. Large ears pressed down on the skull as large eyes peered directly ahead, seeing and unseeing.
An alarm was blaring, and that disrupted the echolocation. It made it harder to navigate this place, but the massive Man-Bat was not going to be deterred. Deep down in its primal mind was a desire to reclaim. Something that belonged to it was here, somewhere, and it was determined to find it.
Smell was helping here and through the sense did it detect an incoming threat. Several. All directly ahead of it. Soon this threat appeared in the shapes of smaller creatures, varying in height and width, but somehow possessing similar features. A long breath took in their scents and a snort expressed derision.
A loud, sharp screech was given as a warning, and suddenly the small creatures fled. One remained, though, staying in the Man-Bat's way. A growl, low and threatening was given then, several steps were taken, then a loud sound startled the beast. There was a sting in its ribs, a sharp pain that gave it pause.
Then a snarl and a charge followed. There were more loud sounds, rapid and then the Man-Bat struck, tearing its teeth into the creature and ending its threat. Blood filled its mouth, meat was spat out because of its texture. The temptation to feast was overwhelming...but then the urge to retrieve what it was here to reclaim.
Rising above the mauled creature, the Man-Bat continued on its way, sniffing and searching…
Then it picked on...something. Was this it? Was this what it had come here for? Where was it? Where was it hiding, being hid, being kept from…
Massive feet stomped on the floor, a head swung left to right, and nostrils flared, searching, searching, searching…
It was a solid, metal surface. Hard, tough, strong, and in its way. The alarm continued to make echolocation difficult, but there was something here. It felt that this was where it had to be. Claws scrapped against the solid surface, testing, and a small snarl expressed dissatisfaction. A large hand was balled and slammed onto the surface. A second blow followed. Then a third.
A dent formed, Nostril flared, and the head directed its limited sight at a tiny opening that had formed, ever so slightly between this dented, solid surface and the rest of the hallway. Sharp claws wedged their way in Grunts of effort, hissing of gratification delay helped to focus a primal mind, and then claws worked their way through.
It was an enormous feat of strength, but the solid surface was torn from hinges and locks and thrown to a side. Nostrils flared once more...and a lovely scent entered. Deep down there was recognition. Yes, here was what it was looking for. This is what it had been seeking. It chirped in satisfaction, pushing its way in as it eyed through eyesight a storage of vials with a fascinating liquid kept within.
There was another scent, though, one that brought recognition and disdain. The disdain reinforced the recognition, and sharp claws managed to plunk a vial out. Liquid sloshed within and there was a need to be careful, so careful…
A massive hand reached in to grab more.
Whatever had attacked Wayne Tower, it hadn't been subtle about it. It left a path of destruction where it went and all Batman had to do was follow it.
As corridor after corridor passed, the vigilante began to feel as if he knew where the attacker was going. They were clearly not searching as they made a beeline towards the R&D department. Based on the bodies, the assailant had strength too, perhaps in the meta-range.
He paused as he saw blood. There were a couple of Wayne security guards lying on the floor, looking as if a rabid animal had ripped them apart. His hands clenched tightly. He didn't like where this was going.
The door to the lab had been torn down, leaving the doorway wide open. Peering through it, Batman saw the familiar sight of leather wings, hairy back, and ripped clothing. A Man-Bat and a giant one too. And it was going right for the Man-Bat serum, which explained the attack.
Batman pulled out his bat-shaped shuriken. There was no need to hold back. He launched them right for the monster's back, waiting for the sharp edge projectiles to cut through flesh.
Instead, they bounced off of the monster's shoulders rather than slicing through them. Their impact still got a reaction through, causing the Man-Bat to turn around, the creature immediately spotting him and snarling. Blood and serum dripped from its jaw, sharp fangs revealed from the growling.
That wasn't the reaction he wanted. Damn, he had forgotten just how tough Man-Bat hides were. At least he found out early instead of at an inopportune moment.
"SSSSKKKKKRRRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the Man-Bat roared before it charged at him.
Handing shooting to his belt, the Dark Knight pulled out a smoke pellet and threw it at the floor, enveloping himself in the smoke cloud. He then promptly bolted to his left, feeling the wind pull at him as the Man-Bat rushed by, pulling the smoke along with its body. The smoke cloud would only puzzle the monster for a moment before it used its echolocation to find him.
Which was fine. Already he was slipping on his electrified brass knuckles and was facing the cloud. He could hear sharp talons scraping on the floor as the Man-Bat searched for him. The moment the sounds stopped, Batman lunged forward, throwing a fist.
The monstrous face of the Man-Bat erupted through the smoke cloud, roaring its war cry. It was timed perfectly as Batman slammed his fist into its face, delivering incredible voltage from the brass knuckles into its cheek. The Man-Bat shrieked as it shrunk back into the smoke; yet, Batman wasn't letting it retreat too far. He passed into the smoke and threw punch after punch, hitting the giant creature in its chest and abdomen, causing it to flinch back from each—
A powerful blow slammed down on top of his head, forcing the vigilante to crumple to the floor. Damn, this thing was strong! Stars were exploding in front of his eyes, though they didn't hide the clawed foot of the Man-Bat drawing back before swinging forward, slamming a kick into him that sent him flying through the air, exploding out of the smoke cloud as he went flipping feet over head over feet. He hit the floor hard, knocking the wind out of him.
That...that wasn't normal Man-Bat strength. Gasping, Batman began pushing himself up off the floor, keeping his eyes on the slowly dissipating smoke cloud. He had fought his share of Man-Bat's before and while they were stronger than the average man, they weren't this strong. The only exception was the Abraham Langstrom Man-Bat, but that man was…
Suddenly, the Man-Bat was flying out of the smoke, gliding through the air as it raced towards him. It roared as it drew closer, its tattered clothing becoming more ripped with every move it made, ruining what had to be a rather expensive suit...
It couldn't be.
Batman dove to one side, avoiding the charging Man-Bat as it flew right where he had been kneeling. It angled its flight so that it shot up into the air, using the high ceiling to its advantage as it began to go into a loop, turning to aim itself downward. Reaching to his belt once again, Batman pulled out a flashbang grenade, head tilted back so that he could see his foe rushing towards him. The Man-Bat screamed as it closed down on him.
The dark-clad man then threw the flashbang grenade down on the floor. Immediately a bright light flashed, making even him see some dots from the brightness. Thankfully the lens in his cowl protected him from the worst of it, along with muffling the thunderous bang that followed an instant later.
The Man-Bat had no such protection as it screamed in pain. It moved its hands to its face to cover it, blinding it to its flight-turned-fall to the floor. Batman darted out of its way as the creature landed face first on the floor, bouncing off of it as it collapsed into a heap.
Now was his chance to really put some damage on this monster. He would've leapt at the opportunity too had something not caught his eye. Spotting a fire extinguisher hanging on the wall, the thought of using that to clobber the Man-Bat was more appealing than breaking his fists against it. So he rushed to it and nearly ripped it off of the wall. Turning back to the whimpering Man-Bat, he then charged at it, swinging the metal cylinder high above his head before arcing it down and slamming it on the Man-Bat's head.
Another high-pitch scream rang out, but Batman ignored it, beating the fire extinguisher over and over on the monster. It wasn't until the Man-Bat began to thrash that it whipped out one of its broad wings and knocked the feet right from underneath the vigilante, sending him falling to the floor on his back.
Both opponents then scrambled to get on its feet. Batman was thankful he at least got into a kneeling stance even as the Man-Bat was back on its feet. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than lying flat on his back. The Man-Bat growled lowly before it lunged at him, leading was a claws hand held high over its head.
Wanting to use the fire extinguisher to block the blow was instinctual. However, Batman instead pulled the pin out of the extinguisher, pointed the hose at the creature and then fired a stream of foamy exhaust at it.
The Man-Bat shrieked instantly, stopping its attack as it flinched backwards. Batman pressed his advantage even as the larger creature drew an arm in front of it, hiding behind its leather wing. Stopping the extinguisher exhaust, Batman then used the metal cylinder to beat down the arm, then swing it back up to hit it on the face. There was a snarl before the Man-Bat raised its clawed hand again, swiping it at him. This time, the vigilante swung the fire extinguisher back, the monster's claws piercing into the cylinder.
Yanking its hand back, the Man-Bat held it higher over its head, the extinguisher still stuck on its caws. It then swung it back down, aiming to bash it over the vigilante's head. Batman darted backwards, avoiding the attack as the Man-Bat slammed the canister on the floor. For a moment, it didn't seem all that concerned with the dark-clad man as it stared at its trapped claws. It then pressed a foot down on the extinguisher, pinning it down so that it could rip its hand out, freeing it.
As the monster looked up and began growling at him, Batman continued to edge backwards. Though he was certain he had hit it hard, he rather doubted he had caused any serious damage. The Man-Bat wasn't even so much as dazed as it took a threatening step towards him. What he needed was the cure to reverse this change; thankfully that cure was somewhere in the lab, ready for an emergency use should someone accidentally be exposed to the serum.
Suddenly, the Man-Bat froze. It jerked its head up, tilting it to one side as it was listening for something. Its nostrils grew larger and smaller as it took breaths.
Then it roared again before turning around and running for the open doorway. That was entirely unexpected, but a welcome reprieve. Clearly it had changed its mind about staying here. While he needed to go after it, Batman instead headed for a glass container that was on the wall, bold letters stating BREAK IN CASE OF EMERGENCY. Well, this was an emergency and he broke the glass.
Inside of the container was a syringe filled with the Man-Bat cure. He grabbed it and placed it in a pocket in his belt. He was going to need this before this night was over. Now he could chase after the Man-Bat and take it down.
She needed to strike while the iron was hot. There was no doubt the Thuggee Cult knew of her existence, of her mission to wipe them out. A brand new temple being taken down would get notice. Though she had taken down some well-established temples prior, the lack of expectation for her arrival was oddly limited.
Either that, or the temples were all separate factions and they didn't care one whit about each other.
That option, as it seemed to be growing more and more likely, also could be dismissed by the occasional exclamation of, "So you're the one that took down X temple." So there were people aware of the other Temples, they were just ill-prepared to be next. That was also strange since these were martial artists, ones that practiced the teaching of always being on-guard. That they didn't expect themselves to be next didn't fit into their reputation.
Well, whether it was hubris, or idiocy, Batgirl was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. There weren't that many temples left; in fact, she was certain the last remaining ones could be counted on one hand now. She was almost done with these Thugs.
Currently, she was on the prowl for the next temple. She had a lead that was taking her to the southside of town, where some of Gotham's most well known institutions were. The Diamond District was where places like Wayne Enterprises and...and...uhh, larger businesses headquartered themselves. It didn't fit in with the Thuggees' practice of keeping a low profile as this area was bustling with activity. Batgirl wasn't expecting a large temple in that case. However, it was likely that these guys were their best fighters, a small elite force that earned their position in the heart of the city.
Beating these guys would send a loud message to the rest of them to get out of town, she was certain of it.
Coming to a stop at the end of a roof, Batgirl looked down at the locals walking up and down the sidewalks, cars passing through the streets. There was clearly no fear in this area, otherwise these people wouldn't be taking their time heading home. Gotham was a dangerous place at night, or so its reputation went.
Suddenly, there was a flash of movement. Perking her head up, she thought she saw something dart behind a skyscraper. Had she imagine it or—
There it was again! Something large shot out from behind its cover. It was high in the air, large wings flapping up and down. It had a distinctive head, with large ears sticking out of it. For a moment, Batgirl felt her stomach drop.
What the hell was a Man-Bat doing out here?
"Holy shit! What the hell is that?!"
Batgirl whipped her head around and spotted the two Batclan members. Bluebird's eyes were wide as Spoiler pointed a finger right at the soaring Man-Bat. How the hell had they found her here?
"Is that what I think it is?" Bluebird suddenly asked, sounding giddy in her tone. "Is that an actual…?
"Man-Bat," Batgirl responded as she turned her head back to the monster. She vividly remembered that series of nights fighting those creatures. That had been some of the most difficult fights she had ever taken part in, a large part of that due to her inability to read their body language. There had been an instinctual element to their movements that had made her unable to read and react accordingly.
It had been the first time she had ever struggled, a precursor to what was to come next for her.
"Obviously we're going to stop it," Bluebird said then. "Otherwise it's going to do something bad."
"No, no you won't," Batgirl immediately denied. She was on her feet and turning to face the girls. Spoiler was giving an incredulous look at her partner, as if she was silently asking "Are you serious?" At least she knew her limits.
"You are not ready to take on a monster like that. I will handle this," she continued.
"Oh, are we seriously going to do this again?" Bluebird was clearly peeved by the denial. "What is it going to take to show you that we are ready for primetime? We held our own pretty damn well against those Thug guys. This won't be any different."
"The Thuggee weren't trying to rip your throats out with their claws and teeth," she pointed out. "Nor did they have superhuman strength and flight."
"I'm going to have to agree with Batgirl on this one," Spoiler chimed in. "There is no way we're up to taking on a Man-Bat. We might as well try fighting Superman; we'd have the same kind of odds."
At least one of them seemed to have a brain in their head, even as Bluebird glared her disapproval at Spoiler. Neither one of them had fought something as strong and dangerous as a Man-Bat. While they had been present for Bane, neither of them had gone toe-to-toe with him, which was for the best.
"Aren't you forgetting that I'm packing a rifle with damn near the power of a lightning bolt?" the blue-haired girl pointed out. "Between the three of us, who do you think has the best chance at taking that thing out with one shot?"
That...was a good point actually. Batgirl was loath to admit it. If the taser rifle could get through the Man-Bat's dense hair that muted smaller electrical discharges, it could take it out fairly quickly. It would seem a test was in order.
"If you can keep up, it is worth a try," Batgirl admitted hesitantly. "But if you fall back, don't bother trying to catch up."
Bluebird shot a smirk. "Oh, I think you'll find that I can keep up with even you."
Batman caught up with the airborne Man-Bat. It had taken awhile and the streets of Gotham weren't always favorable. Most cars got out of the way once they saw his black car racing at them rapidly.
The city's skyline had made it difficult to keep an eye on the creature, but thankfully it was flying in a straight line, so predicting where it was going helped him keep pace. They were entering a part of the city where the buildings weren't so squeezed it, giving it a more open-air feel.
Reaching to the keypad on the center console, the vigilante tapped a few keys, activating one of the many auto-drive protocols. The canopy slid open and Batman relinquished control of the wheel, the car's computer taking control. Standing up, he felt the wind beat at his body as the car kept up its fast speed. Once he left, the auto-drive would take the car to the closest designated locations within its computer system, parking it and activating security measures. He wouldn't have to worry about someone trying to take it for a spin.
Pulling out his grapple, he took aim at a tall building and fired it. It took a few seconds for the claw to connect with the anchor point, but then he was hitting the retraction button and soaring up into the air. The Man-Bat passed by the building his grapple line was secured to, moments later the vigilante flying right by.
Batman then disengaged the grapple, allowing his momentum to propel him through the air. He arced through the sky until gravity began pushing him back down. His trajectory, however, allowed him to not fall to a rather painful end on the ground.
It did allow him to drop right on the back of the Man-Bat.
Ramming his full body onto it, Batman quickly wrapped an arm around the beast's neck, shoving a hand onto the back of its head and pushing it down hard. The Man-Bat shrieked, only for it to immediately choke up and gag from the pressure on its throat. It lost altitude then, flying right for a building with a wide roof and a glass dome at its center.
Down, down they went until the Man-Bat crashed onto the roof. At the last second, Batman removed his arm from around the monster's neck so that it didn't break in the crash, but he still forced it to hit face first on the roof. The force of impact sent him flying off of the Man-Bat's back, the creature tumbling wildly across the building. Grabbing the ends of his cape, he held it out his arms until it made a makeshift parachute with the material, slowing down his descent and making sure he didn't get caught up with the Man-Bat's tumbling. He landed on the ground shortly after, releasing his hold on his cape, and allowing it to fall over his body.
First thing was first, he needed to make certain he knew his surroundings. If the Man-Bat wasn't down from the crash—and chances were that it wasn't—then he needed to know what he could use to his advantage.
Like many roofs in the city, this one had large A/C units on it, a couple of which were humming from use. There were a few pipes that stuck out, traveled a long distance across the roof, and then went back into the building. Of course the glass dome was a prominent feature, one that felt vaguely familiar. Towards the corner of the building was a water tower, old paint fading away the letters of NFF.
NFF...now why was that familiar?
A low growling sound grabbed his attention, forcing him to look back at the Man-Bat. The monster was getting back onto its feet, shaking its head to remove the daze it was in. It's eyes focused on the dark-clad man, its lips quivering from the growl it made. Extending out its arms, it began to flap its wings.
BANG!
There was a startled shriek from the Man-Bat. Batman jumped in place before jerking to one side. He caught sight of a swirling object, one of metal cables that came right at him. The Dark Knight was unable to get out of the way as the cables flew right into him, two of them wrapping over each of his shoulders as two others pinned his arms to his sides. There was a clicking sound as the ends of the cables slid into something that secured them. Glancing down, he saw a round lock pressed against his chest, a purple question mark surrounded by green.
What the hell?
There came an enraged scream then. Jerking his head back to the Man-Bat, Batman saw that it had taken flight once more, rising higher and higher into the air. It's furious eyes were focused right on him and once it reached the altitude it wanted, he charged towards him, picking up speed as it led with its mouth gaping open, revealing saliva dripping fangs.
Batman made to move his arms, quickly realizing he couldn't move them at all thanks to the metal restraints. It took precious seconds away to realize this, seconds he could have used to get ready to dodge the incoming creature.
As it barreled towards him at a rapidly increasing pace, Batman could only think of one thing.
Oh shit...
